Future anxiety, sleep quality, and quality of life: a comparative study among health and literature faculty students

Aim: To compare levels of future anxiety, sleep quality, and quality of life between Health Sciences and Literature faculty students, and to examine the relationships among these variables. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 200 undergraduates (100 from each faculty) at a Turkish public university. Future anxiety was measured with Zaleski’s Future Anxiety Scale; sleep quality with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); and quality of life with the SF-36 survey. Independent t-tests and chi-square tests assessed group differences, and Pearson correlations evaluated associations among anxiety, sleep, and quality of life. Results: Health Sciences students had better overall sleep quality (lower PSQI global scores, p = 0.007) and lower future anxiety (p = 0.03) than Literature students. They also scored higher on most quality of life domains (social functioning, mental health, vitality, etc., p < 0.05 each). No significant group differences were found in physical functioning or emotional role scores. Overall, poorer sleep quality correlated with higher future anxiety (r = 0.28, p < 0.01) and lower quality of life (r = –0.36, p < 0.01). Future anxiety was also inversely correlated with quality of life (r = –0.21, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Students in fields with less certain career prospects experience greater future anxiety, worse sleep, and lower quality of life than those in fields with more defined career paths. University-level interventions- such as career counseling, stress management, and sleep education- are recommended to mitigate future anxiety and improve student well-being.